Desperately Seeking Susan

Madonna has done some weird stuff in her day. Desperately Seeking Susan could probably fall under that category. However, compared to her current accumulated reputation, I would call her part in this movie – charming. After her first screen test she was asked to take some acting classes and come back four weeks later. There wasn’t much of an improvement the second time around and stars Suzanne Vega, Goldie Hawn, Melanie Griffith, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Ellen Barkin were being considered for the part of Susan. But because of budget cuts and the director’s insistence that the actors be “newcomers” Madonna was given the role. That is how old this movie is. And you know what? Thank goodness because I honestly don’t think this movie would be the cult classic that it is if anyone else had played the part of Susan. Watch it and tell me I’m wrong. Rosanna Arquette received an award for best supporting actress for her part as Roberta even though she had more lines and screen time and the movie is essentially her story. That is how much Madonna stole the show.

Desperately Seeking Susan is a personals ad that Susan’s boyfriend, Jimmy (Robert Joy), a traveling musician, places when he wants to find her – she’s a bit of a traveler herself. Unbeknownst to the adventurous couple their journalistic trysts have been followed by Roberta Glass (Arquette was also considered a newcomer when this movie was filmed). Roberta is a bored housewife living in Fort Lee, New Jersey married to a self-absorbed hot tub salesman (Mark Blum). When she reads that Susan and her lover will be meeting in Battery Park she can’t resist catching a glimpse of the couple that has had her sighing for years. She gets her wish when she sees them reunite and then part soon after because Jimmy has a gig. Roberta then continues to follow Susan, entranced by this exciting woman whose life is so different from her own. She follows her into a vintage clothing store where Susan swaps her very unique jacket for a pair of boots. Roberta then loses sight of her, but she returns to the store and buys the jacket. After she gets home she discovers a port authority locker key in the pocket. She then places her own ad for Desperately Seeking Susan arranging a time to return the key. However, when she arrives at the meeting place before Susan she is assaulted and sustains a head injury that gives her amnesia. Jimmy’s friend, Dez (Aidan Quinn – 1985 Aidan Quinn. Be still my heart), who has been commissioned by Jimmy to look after Susan, comes to her rescue because he thinks she is Susan since she is wearing her jacket. And now – Roberta also thinks she is Susan. That’s when the real fun begins. You’ll just have to watch it to find out the rest….

Like any movie set in New York worth its salt, Desperately Seeking Susan is filmed entirely on location. In 1985. It’s totally awesome. The setting is such a big character that at times it’s bigger than the actors themselves. This is New York before it was tamed. This is a pretty good interview by the director on the 25^th anniversary of the film http://http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/22/once-more-into-the-groove-desperately-seeking-susan-turns-25/.

One of my favorite aspects of this film is how winding and twisting the plotline is – probably because it’s more like two plotlines that accidentally meet and then switch places. However, this one manages to keeps itself crystal clear. It’s also not often that a lighthearted film is able to maintain a complex story.

I’m tempted to say that what really makes this movie a cult favorite is the quirky characters portrayed by actors who no one had realized yet were amazing, but that would mean pushing aside the writing, setting, and Susan’s wardrobe. Underneath all its funk, gritty authenticity, and mistaken identity fun is an inspiring theme of self-discovery and living the kind of life that makes you feel alive.